Early Years Reading and Fluency
When working with the learner I asked him to read the book Hooper Humperdink... ? NOT HIM! by Theo. LeSeig with me. After the first page it was apparent that my learner was a competent reader, and he was happy to read the book aloud to me, rarely needing much assistance with reading words. However, while the learner was able to read words one-by-one, he often had to break between words to process them before being able to read them in a stringed sentence. Additionally, the learner rarely acknowledged the presence of punctuation, continuously reading past full stops and commas.
Below is the front page, and a sample page from the book. (Click to enlarge)
ewwwewewe In order to assess the standard that a learner is reading at, you need to break reading up into several components. Hill (2006, p. 170) provides us with a Reading Fluency Rubric that clearly breaks down and defines reading in order for us to determine the learners level. These components are rate, phrasing, pausing, stress and intonation or expression. It is with this rubric that I will assess the learners reading ability.
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= Application of the Reading Fluency Rubric
Below is a sample of the learner reading a portion of the book; the page displayed above. This sample is a good example for analysing, at a glance, as it contains parts where the child should demonstrate emphasis on words, break for commas, rhyme words, and phrase words together. Before releasing parts of my interview online, permission was obtained from the learner's parent. Click here to view the pemission slip.
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= [Press Play] Pace
When we listen to the learner read we can hear that there is very little variation in rate. The only occasions in which the learner pauses are when he is unsure about words. He does not change his reading pace to actually suit the text whatsoever. This indicates the reader controls his pace at a Level 1 standard.
Phrasing
When the learner reads it is apparent that he is reading at a Level 3 standard. Generally, his reading is made up of short-stringed sentences comprised of 3 or 4 words, however he also reads in a word-by-word manner for a small selection of the text.
Pausing
Punctuation is one of the core components of the English language, however the learner shows very little attention to it. Take the line "and Pinky, Pat and Pasternack" for example; The learner does not break at all after any of the commas. This lack of acknowledgment for punctuation identifies the learner is at Level 1 in regards to pausing.
Stress
As people read, we expect stress to be placed on words in specific situations; for example, we'd expect emphasis to be placed on words that rhyme in order to make the rhyme more noticeable. This, however, is not apparent in the learner's reading. Listening to the sample we can hear that the learner does not recognise the rhyming link between "all" and "Paul". This lack of stress on words can indicate that the learner applies stress in his reading at a Level 1 standard too.
Intonation and Expression
A reader's voice should be changed in pitch, tone and volume when reading to reflect the meaning behind the text that is being read. This therefore should be applied to make words, or phrases preceded by exclamation marks more boisterous or excited depending on context. For the learner, there was no evidence of this when the narrator exclaims "No!", which indicates that when it comes to intonation and expression the reader is, again, at Level 1.
VELS Speaking Standards
According to VELS (2007), when it comes speaking, students at level 2 should be "able to speak clearly using simple utterances and basic vocabulary", which the learner was clearly able to do. However, students at this level should also be able to "vary volume and intonation patterns to add emphasis" according to VELS, which the learner showed very little ability to do throughout the interview.
When working with the learner I asked him to read the book Hooper Humperdink... ? NOT HIM! by Theo. LeSeig with me. After the first page it was apparent that my learner was a competent reader, and he was happy to read the book aloud to me, rarely needing much assistance with reading words. However, while the learner was able to read words one-by-one, he often had to break between words to process them before being able to read them in a stringed sentence. Additionally, the learner rarely acknowledged the presence of punctuation, continuously reading past full stops and commas.
Below is the front page, and a sample page from the book. (Click to enlarge)
In order to assess the standard that a learner is reading at, you need to break reading up into several components. Hill (2006, p. 170) provides us with a Reading Fluency Rubric that clearly breaks down and defines reading in order for us to determine the learners level. These components are rate, phrasing, pausing, stress and intonation or expression. It is with this rubric that I will assess the learners reading ability.
Related:
See Reading Fluency Rubric.
Watch Developing Fluency
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Application of the Reading Fluency Rubric
Below is a sample of the learner reading a portion of the book; the page displayed above. This sample is a good example for analysing, at a glance, as it contains parts where the child should demonstrate emphasis on words, break for commas, rhyme words, and phrase words together. Before releasing parts of my interview online, permission was obtained from the learner's parent. Click here to view the pemission slip.
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[Press Play]
Pace
When we listen to the learner read we can hear that there is very little variation in rate. The only occasions in which the learner pauses are when he is unsure about words. He does not change his reading pace to actually suit the text whatsoever. This indicates the reader controls his pace at a Level 1 standard.
Phrasing
When the learner reads it is apparent that he is reading at a Level 3 standard. Generally, his reading is made up of short-stringed sentences comprised of 3 or 4 words, however he also reads in a word-by-word manner for a small selection of the text.
Pausing
Punctuation is one of the core components of the English language, however the learner shows very little attention to it. Take the line "and Pinky, Pat and Pasternack" for example; The learner does not break at all after any of the commas. This lack of acknowledgment for punctuation identifies the learner is at Level 1 in regards to pausing.
Stress
As people read, we expect stress to be placed on words in specific situations; for example, we'd expect emphasis to be placed on words that rhyme in order to make the rhyme more noticeable. This, however, is not apparent in the learner's reading. Listening to the sample we can hear that the learner does not recognise the rhyming link between "all" and "Paul". This lack of stress on words can indicate that the learner applies stress in his reading at a Level 1 standard too.
Intonation and Expression
A reader's voice should be changed in pitch, tone and volume when reading to reflect the meaning behind the text that is being read. This therefore should be applied to make words, or phrases preceded by exclamation marks more boisterous or excited depending on context. For the learner, there was no evidence of this when the narrator exclaims "No!", which indicates that when it comes to intonation and expression the reader is, again, at Level 1.
VELS Speaking Standards
According to VELS (2007), when it comes speaking, students at level 2 should be "able to speak clearly using simple utterances and basic vocabulary", which the learner was clearly able to do. However, students at this level should also be able to "vary volume and intonation patterns to add emphasis" according to VELS, which the learner showed very little ability to do throughout the interview.
- Introduction to Learner
- Reading Interests Survey
- Learner Understanding
- Reading Fluency
- Writing Assessment
Teaching Programs
- Classroom Structure
- Teaching Approaches
- Reading/Writing Approaches
- Observation Notes
Teaching Resources
Statement of Observation
Permission Slip
Reference List
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